Method of, and apparatus for, making stitch-bonded fabric

ABSTRACT

Method of, and apparatus for, making a stitch-bonded fabric with thermoinsulating properties having sufficient strength in all directions, to make it possible to use said stitch-bonded fabric for outerwear. The fabric includes a base and transversely arranged weft threads and warp threads knitted through the base by a warp knitted weave. In the method of the invention for manufacturing the product a weft system is fed parallely into the operation point of the stitch-knitting machine together with a base, and at the said operation point the said weft system is knitted together by warp threads, thus being connected to the base. In the apparatus according to the present invention a separating bar is mounted at the operating point of the stitch-knitting machine between the bits bar and the supporting comb.

United States Patent [191 Svoboda et al. Oct. 7, 1975 [5 METHOD OF, AND APPARATUS FOR, 3,523,432 8/1970 Yajda et al. 66/85 A MAKING STITCH BONDED FABRIC 3,646,780 3/1972 wilderrnan 3,705,503 12/1972 Skopalik et al.... Inventors: V ad mi vob da; Josef Skopalik; 3,760,607 9/1973 Wilderman 66/85 A Jaroslav Ptacek, all of Brno, 3,769,815 11/1973 Ploch et al 66/85 A Czechoslovakia R25,749 3/1965 Mauersberger 66/84 [73] Assignee: Elite r, Zavodytextilniho Primary Examiner james Kee Chi stro u-enstvl, Lrberec, Czechoslovakia [57] ABSTRACT Filed! P 1973 Method of, and apparatus for, making a stitch-bonded [21] Appl No: 354,357 fabric with thermoins ulating properties having sufficrent strength in all directlons, to make it posslble to use said stitch-bonded fabric for outerwear. The fabric Foreign Application y Data includes a base and transversely arranged weft threads Apr. 26, 1972 Czechoslovakia 2801-72 and warp threads knitted through the base by a warp knitted weave. US. Cl; 66/85 A; 66/192 the method of the invention for manufacturing the [51] Int. Cl. D04B 23/10 product a weft system is fed parallel}, into the '[58] new of Search 66/85 85 R1 84 84 operation point of the stitch-knitting machine together 66/ 192-195 with a base, and at the said operation point the said weft system is knitted together by warp threads, thus [56] References C'ted being connected to the base.

UNITED STATES PATENTS In the apparatus according to the present invention a Mauersberger eparating bar is mounted at the operating point of the 3; Grk stitch-knitting machine between the bits bar and the 1 smann 3,364,701 1/1968 Carman 66/84 A Supportmg comb 3,442,101 5/1969 Ploch et a1 66/85 A 2 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures US. Patent Oct. 7,1975 Sheet 1 of2 3,910,072

FIG.

U.S. Patent 0a. 7,1975 Sheet 2 of2 3,910,072

FIG. 2

METHOD OF, AND APPARATUS FOR, MAKING A 1 STITCH-BONDED FABRIC The present invention relates to a methodof and a device for manufacturing a stitch-bonded fabric on the ARACI-INE type.

Products are known which comprise fibrous fleece as a foundation, said fleece being reinforced byilongitudinal stitch-bonding of warp, threads e.g. by chain stitch or tricot stitch. A method of manufacturing them is also known, .in stitch-knitting machines, and stitch-knitting machines in which stitch-bonding of the fleece takes place are also known. This is made possible by the construction of needles and transversable latches, the needles thus closed by latches being not caught by the separate fiber of said fleece upon the passing of the needles therethrou gh.v Moreover, this stitch-bonding makes possible a needle and latch motion in the direction ofmovement of the fleece at the phase of the passing of the needles therethrough.

Products are also known which includes transversely arranged weft threads gripping between the rib stitches and rib loops by a warp weave of bonded warp threads. A device is known for manufacturing said products, the principal part of said device consisting of a conveyor feeding weft threads arranged thereon at regular intervals into the operation mechanism of a stitch knittingmachine, and of another conveyor which refills the weft system on the said first conveyor from a weft thread supply.

The disadvantage of the first said stitch-bonded fabric comprising a fibrous fleece consists -in its insufficient strength in the transversal direction, while the disadvantage of the other said stitch-bonded fabric comprising weft threads consists in its relatively low thermoinsulating qualities.

The purpose of the present invention is to substantially mitigate the above disadvantages and to provide a method of making a stitch-bonded fabric of sufficient strength in all directions, such fabric having thermoinsultating properties which make possible the application of said stitch-bonded fabric for outerwear.

The product made by the method according to the present invention includes a base, transversely arranged weft threads, and warp threads knitted through the base by a warp knitted weave.

- In the method of manufacturing the product a weft system is fed parallely in to the operation point of the stitch-knitting machine together with a base, and at the said operation point the said weft system is knitted together by warp threads, thus being connected to the base.

In the device according to the present invention a separating bar is mounted at the operating point of the 4 tion.

stitch-knitting machine between the bits bar and the vention;'

FIG. 2 is a diagram of the device for manufacturing the stitch-bonded fabric of FIG. 1; and

2 FIG. 3 is a fragmentary view in section of the operating point of the device according to the present inven- The stitch-bonded fabric (FIG. 1 made by the method-according to the present invention consists of a base 1, transversely arranged weft threads 2, and

warp threads 3 which stitch-bond the base by a warp weave, e.g. chain or tricot weave, and which by this stitch-bonding simultaneously fasten the weft threads 2 to-the base 1. Weft threads 2 are arranged on the product between the rib stitches 31 of the warp threads 3 and base 1 (FIG. 1). A needled and thus partially reinforced fibrous fleece can be used as base 1, or possibly a prefabricated woven or knitted fabric, or a layer of chemically produced materials, e.g. polyurethane. The product shown in FIG. 1 as an illustrative embodiment comprises a weft thread 2 in each course of warp threads 3. It is also possible, from the view of patterning, to omit weft thread 2 in certain courses.

The device according to the present invention .includes a supply beam 4, from which there is unwound the base 1 by the pull of a withdrawing mechanism (not shown) in the direction of arrow S (FIG. 2). If desired, the base may be fed a simultaneous turning of supply beam 4 and the driving of the conveyor belt 5.

For the position feeding of the base 1 by conveyor belt 5 and supply beam 4, it is desirable to grip base 1 at the point of withdrawal 6 between the conveyor belt Sand the supply beam 4, this it making possible to arrange the axis of rotation 7 of beam 4 in a recess 31 of its holder 8, so that said supply beam 4 is pressed by its own weight towards the conveyor belt 5.

Between cylinder 9, around which the direction of movement of base 1 is charged, and the operation point 10 of the stitch knitting machine the movement of base 1 is directed by a stationary guiding metal sheet 11, which holds base 1 in the plane extending between cylinder 9 and operating point 10' of the stitch-knitting machine.

The system of weft threads 2 is fed to the operation point 10 by means of a known conveyor belt 12, on which there are held the twoends of the separate weft threads 2. Conveyor 12 moves at a constant regular velocity synchronized with the velocity of stitch-bonding of the stitch-knitting machine by an accurate transmission coupled to the knitting machine. The lower branch 121 of conveyor 12 feeds the weft threads 2 to the operation point 10 in the direction T, while the upper branch of conveyor 12 returns, after the knitting-in of wefts 2 and the releasing of the grip or their ends, into its approximately horizontal part 122, where by known transverse] conveyor (not shown) the weft threads 2 are laid into said first conveyor 12.

Base 1 and wefts 2 are fed to the operation point 10 parallely between a stitch comb 13 and a supporting comb 14, the path of the weft threads 2 thus meeting with the base a short distance between the operation point. A separating bar 14 is mounted between the two said combs'13, 14, along the whole width of the stitch knitting machine. Base 1 is fed between the support comb 14 and the separating bar 15 and the wefts 2 are fed between separating bar 15 and stitch comb 13. It is possible to feed weft threads 2 and base 1 in opposite arrangement to operation point I'll, i.e., base 1 between stitch comb 13 and separating bar 15. The product made in that manner is provided with weft threads 2 which are arranged between the purl loops of warp threads 3 and base 1.

Separating bar is smooth on both sides, in order to enable base 1 as well as weft threads 2 to slide thereon with a minimum resistance. This bar 15 makes it possible to feed weft threads 2 at a higher velocity than base 1, this being necessary for the reliable fastening of weft threads 2 between the rib loop 31 and the base, as shown in FIG. 3.

Base 1 moves at a constant speed, whether in front of operation point 10 or upon being knitted into the finished product according to the present invention. The

weft threads 2 move at constant speed until the moment at which they encounter a loop 32 drawn out by a needle (FIG. 3) which was formed by laying warp thread 3 by eye needle 17 on to knitting needle 16 and after movement of needle 16 in the direction U.

After encountering said loop 32, the movement of weft thread 2 is slowed down to the speed of base 1 and said weft thread 2 advances in permanent contact with said loop 32 until back movement of knitting needle 16, which penetrates base 1 and closes weft thead 2 between the rib stitches 31 and base 1, whereupon the ends of weft threads 2 are released by conveyor 12. Thus, a regular arrangement of weft threads 2 on the product is secured. If the distribution of weft theads 2 is to be performed according to a pattern, as already mentioned in the description of the product according to the present invention, then the weft threads 2 are laid upon conveyor 12 in accordance with such pattern. Although the invention is illustrated and described with reference to a pluality of preferred embodiments thereof, it is to be expressly understood that it is in no way limited to the disclosure of such a plurality of preferred embodiments, but is capable of numerous modii fications within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A methodof manufacturinga stitch-bonded fabric which includes a fibrous fleece base including transversely laid weft threads and warp threads knitted through the base by a warp knitting weave, comprising simultaneously conveying in parallel relationship but at different speeds to the operation point of a stitchknitting machine, on the one hand, a system of'weft threads and, on the other hand, a fibrous fleece base, and connecting said system of weft threads to the base at said operation point by bonding them with warp threads, the speed of feeding the system of weft threads being higher than the speed of feeding the fibrous fleece base.

2. A device for manufacturing a stitch-bonded fabric which includes a fibrous fleece including transversely laid weft threads and warp threads knitted through the base by a warp knitting weave, comprising a stitchknitting machine, means for simultaneously conveying in parallel relationship but at different speeds to the operation point of the stitch-knitting machine, on the one hand, a system of weft threads and, on the other hand, a fibrous fleece base, the speed of feeding the system of weft threads being higher than the speed of feeding the fibrous fleece base, means for connecting said system of weft threads to said base at said operation point by bonding them with warp threads, a separating bar, and a supporting comb, all arranged at the operation point of the stitch-knitting machine, the separating bar being disposed between the two combs. 

1. A method of manufacturing a stitch-bonded fabric which includes a fibrous fleece base including transversely laid weft threads and warp threads knitted through the base by a warp knitting weave, comprising simultaneously conveying in parallel relationship but at different speeds to the operation point of a stitch-knitting machine, on the one hand, a system of weft threads and, on the other hand, a fibrous fleece base, and connecting said system of weft threads to the base at said operation point by bonding them with warp threads, the speed of feeding the system of weft threads being higher than the speed of feeding the fibrous fleece base.
 2. A device for manufacturing a stitch-bonded fabric which includes a fibrous fleece including transversely laid weft threads and warp threads knitted through the base by a warp knitting weave, comprising a stitch-knitting machine, means for simultaneously conveying in parallel relationship but at different speeds to the operation point of the stitch-knitting machine, on the one hand, a system of weft threads and, on the other hand, a fibrous fleece base, the speed of feeding the system of weft threads being higher than the speed of feeding the fibrous fleece base, means for connecting said system of weft threads to said base at said operation point by bonding them with warp threads, a separating bar, and a supporting comb, all arranged at the operation point of the stitch-knitting machine, the separating bar being disposed between the two combs. 